West Ham ‘insiders’ think they can beat Newcastle and sign £25.5m attacker

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Newcastle United appear to be back in the hunt to sign Hugo Ekitike, but could face competition to secure his signature.

With Newcastle struggling for forwards right now, it has been reported that Eddie Howe’s side are once again interested in Ekitike.

It has been claimed by 90min that the Magpies are looking into a possible loan deal for the Paris Saint-Germain forward, more than a year since the 21-year-old rejected Newcastle for the second time.

Newcastle were keen admirers of Ekitike in 2022, and tried to sign him in January of that year and the summer. A fee of £25.5million was even agreed with Reims, but Ekitike said no.

Instead, he joined PSG, where he completely flopped.

Now Ekitike could have another chance to test himself in the Premier League, with Newcastle back in the mix. However, they could face competition from West Ham, who reportedly feel like they have an ace up their sleeve.

West Ham could have an edge over Newcastle in Hugo Ekitike pursuit

According to TEAMtalk, West Ham United insiders think they could be more enticing to Ekitike than clubs like Newcastle.

That is because they will be able to offer him the chance to be their first choice striker. Their strikers are struggling for goals this season, with Michail Antonio on two and Danny Ings yet to find the net.

In contrast, a move to Newcastle would see Ekitike compete with Callum Wilson and Alexander Isak. He would be third choice, which is lower down the pecking order than he would have been had he joined in 2022.

But Wilson is not going to carry on forever, and Ekitike is the right kind of profile that Newcastle are looking for. On top of that, he can also play out wide, which is another area that the Magpies are currently lacking options in.

However, the chance to be the main man at West Ham could be very appealing to Ekitike, as could the lure of living in London.